Favorite DVD?

[criterionmaster]

Favorite DVD even if you don't own it?

[blackmoses]

John Cassavetes: Five Films

[captainofbeef]

My favorite DVD is probably the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly special edition. Even though I don't own it.

[PTAhole]

And I do! You don't own you're favorite movie?

[captainofbeef]

I own it. Just not that edition. I am not Criterionmaster.

[criterionmaster]

NO ONE IS!

[captainofbeef]

You are obviously.

[criterionmaster]

I said no one, not no-THING.

[Evan]

One of my favorite DVDs is the Kino edition of "The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari". Excellent features, great score,and an entire other film (Genuine:The Tale of a Vampire) that is as good (if not better) than Caligari.

[ie]

My favorite DVD might be the Seven Samurai three-discer. My favorite movie has a pretty good DVD, with some good extras to tide me over, because it's doubtful they'll ever make an extras-packed DVD of it. And I've also been looking at the impressive... four disc? was it?... edition of Dawn of the Dead.


I was able to borrow the Image Entertainment version of the Cabinet of Dr.Caligari from the library today, actually. I've heard things that make Kino sound better than TCC, so I'll probably still have to check out the Kino version before making a final decision on which one to eventually buy.

Amazon reviewer:

I have copies of both the Kino Video edition and the Image Entertainment edition. My preference is for Image Entertainment for the following reasons:

(1) The print seems slightly cleaner (and most helpfully, the DVD packaging warns you about the horizontal line across the top of some scenes which is a defect on the original film)

(2) The intertitles on Image use the correct expressionistic style as per the 1920 release. from what I recall, Kino's are the 'normalised' printed intertitles from 1923.

(3) The Kino version has possibly the most insensitive layer transition location I have ever come across. For reasons of their own Kino put an intertitle before the final sequence in the asylum, and it would have been a natural place for a layer transition. Instead they put it a few seconds into the final sequence (and only a couple of minutes before the end of the film!). Image has no layer transition.

(4) Both scores on the Kino version are dreadful. One consists of strange electronic noises, while the 'orchestral' one is pretty inappropriate. Instead Image chose a very nice specially composed score by Timothy Brock which is a remarkably effective pastiche in the style of Alban Berg (very appropriate for an expressionist film).

(5) Image has a commentary track; it's not clear that Kino does (I can't remember, but certainly it isn't mentioned in the blurb on the back).

Just about the only plus of Kino is that there is considerably more bonus material (43 minutes from 'Genuine: the tale of a vampire' as compared to about 3 on Image). However, if the price for that is the awful layer transition, then I know which I prefer.


So that's why I prefer the Image version and wish I hadn't bought the Kino version.

DVD Beaver says Kino is better, but for some reason, I think the Image version looks better. I guess this means I'll have to watch it and let you know about my findings, either here, or on the Caligari thread.

[criterionmaster]

ie said:

My favorite DVD might be the Seven Samurai three-discer. My favorite movie has a pretty good DVD, with some good extras to tide me over, because it's doubtful they'll ever make an extras-packed DVD of it. And I've also been looking at the impressive... four disc? was it?... edition of Dawn of the Dead.

Yeah, it is a four disc set, and is one of the best things I have ever seen. Three versions of the film, two fucking fantastic documentaries (two of the best I have ever seen), commentaries on each version of the film, like five interview easter eggs, tons of trailers, and so much more. You should buy it, very soon, hell everyone should pick it up. Packaging is excellent as well.

[Clark Nova]

agreed, great set for a great movie...and i haven't even tackled all the extras yet.